There is more information created now in 10 minutes than in previous 100-year time spans. Information, content production, changing environments are happening at faster and faster rates, going parabolic, while our minds struggle to keep up. Everything in life is focused on speed, efficiency and producing as much as we possibly can in as little time as possible. And while we try to maximize output and momentum on one end, we have to have patience on the other? We have to wait for our minds, our bank accounts, our bodies to catch up to our habits? We don’t even have to wait for food to grow anymore, you can have Walmart deliver one lemon to your door. It’s no wonder patience is the most sought-after trait of traders.
There was a time where you had to wait until the following day to read in the paper what happened in the markets. There was a time when you had to call your bank or broker to facilitate a buy or a sell on your behalf. Now TradingView has access to one second charts. One time my daughter was sitting with me when I went over charts, and I was on the daily time frame. She said, “wait, so each candle takes an entire day to form?? How boring, the only interesting time frame is the one minute”. That is the fight we are up against. We just want to be there already.
And yet. What would life be if we always played video games with cheat codes? If we dieted for one day and had our dream body. If one workout was enough to grow perfect muscles. We see the effects of this already happening. Instant gratification hasn’t made anyone a better person. People are more depressed than ever. We have never had so much as a general population and been so unhappy about it.
The desire to be there already, for everything we want, all the time is to wish our lives over. It is to say that nothing we do along the way has merit, that there is nothing to be gained from our time invested. Imagine wishing away your child growing up. Imagine wishing away dinners with friends, that it should all be over already. Choosing to be patient when things are only good, means we will lose all appreciation for what is good. And no one ever seems to think about the negative. If one good day of dieting should make you fit, does that mean one cheat meal should make you fat? If you have one good trade, and wish you were already a millionaire, does that mean one bad trade should have you filing for bankruptcy?
What are we really chasing?
